The coronation was very stressful. Grandma made me try a lot of dresses and trying to convince mom to wear a proper attire instead of her armour was a fight that made fighting a dragon seem like child's play, not that I know how hard it is to fight a dragon but that’s what grandma said when she complained to me about it. I also got to meet Emelia, mom’s sister, before her coronation and she was very nice. I think she is going to make a good queen. Grandma also insisted on introducing me to the public after the coronation, with Emelia’s permission of course. I’m a bit disappointed that my school uniform only arrived yesterday and now is already the first day of school. I really wanted to adjust it a bit since it is just a normal piece of clothes but I didn’t have the time for it. Mom wasn’t allowed to accompany me to the school, which is probably for the better and I’m currently in a carriage grandma provided. Sadly it’s not the carriage I modified because it’s shaking, not as bad as in the forest but it’s still annoying. According to grandma they are trying to figure out how I modified the carriage in order to see if they can replicate it so it’s not in use.
I’m still lost in thought about what changes I can make to my school uniform when the carriage comes to a stop.
“Young miss, we have arrived.”
I grab my backpack and scabbard and get out of the carriage. The school is a very large building with a belltower in the middle. There are signs around pointing new students to where they have to go. I walk to the building on the right side of the belltower where there are signs for the girls' dorms. There is a small line and I queue up to wait my turn. From what I see of the girls who are in line before me they have a list with names and then give you a key to a room and tell you where to go. The line is going forward pretty fast and it soon is my turn.
“Name?”
“Lucina Renata Stallard”
“Y-your highness, p-please right this way.”
The girl who handled the room assignments gets up to lead the way, she seems quite flustered, and why did she call me highness? I hesitate for a bit because there is still a line behind me but before I can retort one of the girls who was standing on the side walked over and took over for the girl who is still waiting for me to follow her. I started following her and after a bit of walking I couldn’t hold myself back anymore.
“Uhm, excuse me, why did you call me ‘highness’?”
“O-oh, I’m sorry, my name is Bella Ordno, I’m the daughter of Duke Ordno. I was at the coronation with my father so I saw you there. Both the current and former queen introduced you as the first princess so I thought that would be the correct way to address you, your highness.”
“Ah, that’s going to be a hassle”
Bella looks like she is holding back a giggle, “I said that second part out loud didn’t I?”
“You did indeed, your highness.”
“Can you please stop calling me highness? Lucina is fine.”
“Because it’s a hassle?”
“Exactly.”
She giggles a bit, “I can do that if that’s what you prefer, your high-, I mean, Lucina.”
We continue walking for a bit before Bella stops in front of a door with a big number 1 on it. She takes a key out of her pocket and opens the door.
“This is going to be your room.”
I enter the room and look around. There is a couch and coffee table, a desk and chair including writing utensils, empty bookshelves, and an upstairs area.
I think this room is bigger than moms house.
“Is the kitchen upstairs?”
Bella looks at me confused.
“I’m sorry, the school dormitories don’t have kitchens. There is a cafeteria where students can eat but some also leave school grounds to eat something nearby.”
…
“So then when are my roommates going to arrive?”
“Your hig- I mean Lucina, you aren’t going to have roommates, this room is for you alone.”
I sigh. “Well, can’t change anything about that. Mom told me there is a place here dedicated to magic tools, is it possible to visit that?”
“The opening ceremony for new students is later today, about at noon in the main building and new students have to attend the first class about magic tools as well as get special approval to be allowed in there, so I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Bella excused herself and left, so I started to look around my room. There is a bit of empty space on the main floor and the upstairs has a bed room with a gigantic bed and a washroom with a bathtub. I take my books out of my backpack and start filling the bookshelves with them and then take out a few pieces of metal scrap. I think I can probably make these into a stove top but I doubt the school lets me use the desk for it. Well, I can still make it for when I get a desk I can remodel. I start pressing the scrap metal together in order to make a single plate and then start adding the different spells to make it into a stove. I’m almost finished when there is a knock on the door.
“Your highness, the entrance ceremony is going to start soon.”
I walk towards the door and open it. In front of me is a young woman dressed in servant's clothes.
“Good afternoon, your highness. Lady Ordno asked me to escort you to the main hall where the entrance ceremony is held.”
She leads the way to the main hall and I try my best to memorise the way there because I’m probably going to have to go there often. Bella is waiting in front of the main hall and the young woman escorting me excuses herself.
“I hope I didn’t overstep by sending her to pick you up.”
“It’s fine, I would probably have missed it if you didn’t.”
She giggles a bit and we enter the hall. We take a seat towards the front and the entrance ceremony soon starts.
They explain different things about how school works, like how once social status doesn’t matter for classes and scores, everyone is to be treated equally, they are going to test the mana of every student because some magic related classes require a certain amount of mana, first year classes are going to be general classes for most with a few exceptions and starting second year it’s going to be free selection for what you want to do.
Wait. They check mana? I’m screwed.
Bella seemed to have picked up on my nervousness because she gets my attention and whispers “Don’t worry it’s going to be fine.”
Her words don’t really calm me down but there isn’t anything I can do about it at this point anyways. They start calling one person after the other to the front and they place a hand on an orb. The orb starts glowing when they put their hand on it and after a bit the teacher calls out a number. I have no idea what number actually means anything but from the reactions of the other students everything under about 200 seems to be normal, and everything above 1000 has everyone going wild but the only two people so far that reached that, one of them is Bella with 2498. She is currently the one with the highest value out of all the new students so I feel a bit too self conscious to ask if it’s a lot.
“And now for our last student. Her highness Lucina Renata Stallard.”
I get up from my seat and try my best to ignore the stares of the other students. I stop in front of the orb but hesitate. The teacher gives me a smile and tells me, “Don’t worry, her Majesty gave us a heads up.” Cracks start to appear on the orb as soon as I touch it and moments later it bursts into pieces. The teacher looks a little bit shocked but gathers her composer quickly. “I expected it but it’s still impressive to see, IMMEASURABLE.”
There is a small uproar among the students and another teacher brings in a new orb. “For the people who don’t believe us or think she used her connections to cheat we have prepared a backup orb.” The teacher touches the orb and it starts glowing. “As you can see it can even test my mana of about 25’000 so it can hold a lot of strength.” She turns towards me with a smile, “Could you please repeat the test.”
I touch the new orb and the exact same thing happens again. “As you can see the result won’t change, even if we repeated it more it would still be the same outcome.”
This seems to calm down the students and I go back to sit down next to Bella. I started daydreaming for the rest of the ceremony and only came back when Bella tapped me on the shoulder.
“Did you pay attention to any of that?”
“Class starts tomorrow, in the morning is a class about magic and in the afternoon is a class about magic tools or swordsmanship depending on what the students want to learn. Also for each of the classes the first thing is going to be a test of each student about both their knowledge and ability in order to put everyone in classes they best fit into.”
“Well, I guess you got most of it right at least.” Bella shakes her head, “We are going to have a separate magic class together with Miss Barnes because our mana is significantly higher. And from what my father told me you aren’t allowed to participate in swordsmanship classes on the order of her Majesty because it would be too big of a safety hazard for the other students.”
“Close enough” I shrug. “Do you by any chance know if there is a furniture store close by? I need a sturdy table to finish my latest project.”
She squints her eyes looking at me, “Didn’t you have to promise her Majesty not to make any magic tools until after you had your first class about it?”
“Damn, how does she know?”
“You are thinking out loud again.” She shakes her head, “I won’t say anything if you show me what you’re doing and make something for me as well.”
“Deal! Let’s also eat something while we are out.”
There is a small shopping district pretty much right in front of the school. Only now I realise I have no idea about what is where. Ever since arriving in the capital I’ve stayed in the castle, everything I needed got delivered there so I had no need to go out.
“There is a really good place to eat a bit further away, it’s my favourite store in the capital so let's go there.”
“Sure.”
We sat down in the restaurant Bella took me to and ordered.
“So, what kind of magic tool do you want me to make for you?”
“I was hoping you could make me a sword that also works like a wand.”
“Okay, dumb question, what is a wand?”
She stares at me in silence for a bit. “A wand is a magic tool used by mages, it helps with control over your magic power and can even be used to amplify it. Didn’t you have a magic tutor?”
“Ah, so the stick she used wasn’t just because it looked cool. I think I should be able to do that. What is your compatible weapon?”
“Oh I use a rapier.” She takes the weapon from the side of her hip and places it on the table.
“Do you want this one to be turned into a magic item or do you need a separate one?”
“I don’t think the material used for this one is suitable for a magic tool.”
“What do you mean?”
“Y-you need special material to create magic tools depending on what and how much magic you add to it and the ones you could use for weapons are really expensive so most weapons don’t use it.”
She looks at me really confused and as if she is explaining one of the most basic concepts to me.
I put my scabbard on the table, “I made this using scrap metal though.”
“But that’s just a normal scabbard, isn’t it?”
“No, it’s a magical tool, it’s probably not a good idea to show you here so let’s wait until after we eat.”
She looks at me questioningly but drops it. We eat our food, which was very good, and leave.
We go to a more isolated place and I draw my sword from my scabbard. Bella looks at me shocked, “How the hell did you make something so absurd out of scrap metal!”
“Well, first I press the different pieces together in order to combine them into a big enough piece and then I bend it into the form I want it to be in and that’s not what you meant, huh.”
“You know what, let’s get back to this after we had our first lesson on magic tools.”
We then went to a few stores and I bought a table that would be fitting for a stove and we went back to our dorms. As it turns out Bellas room is right next to mine. I finished the stove and then put some things on my school uniform that I think would make my life easier and then headed to bed.
I’m on my way to the classroom together with Bella. I’m glad she is in the room next to me and knows her way around the school, I might would have been in trouble otherwise.
I’m pretty sure Bella said there are only 3 people in our class about magic so why is there a group of 4 in front of our room?
“You better not forget your place just because you got into the special class together with her highness.”
“Being lazy in your magic training doesn’t give you the right to bully people.”
3 of the girls turn around and look at us, “But Miss Ordno, she is a commoner!”
“See, Bel, I wasn’t the only one who didn’t pay attention yesterday.” I give Bella a smug smile but she just sighs.
“That isn’t something you should be proud of, your highness.”
“Rude”
She gives me a death glare before turning to the girls again, “Her highness is right though. It was clearly stated that your status doesn’t matter here in the academy.”
“But why should we of noble blood have to associate with the likes of her!”
“I have been living as a commoner until about 3 months ago, so does that include me as well?” They don’t answer and just silently avoid my gaze. “You know, grandma actually explained to me why this rule was set in place by the order of the royal family. You see, quite some time ago now there was a commoner who attended this school with a rare Talent but because they were a commoner it wasn’t nurtured properly. The result was a whole town being wiped off the map from the magic explosion they caused because they weren’t taught how to properly control their magic power and mana. So if you actually care about this country not only would you be fine with commoners attending the academy but you would encourage it.”
They excuse themselves and walk away in a hurry. Bel walks over to the girl that’s left, who is probably our classmate, to check up on her.
“You must be Miss Barnes, don’t let people like this get to you.”
“I’m fine, thank you for standing up for me. But please call me Alexia, your highness.”
We entered the classroom and the class soon started. The things the teacher is talking about are very boring so I let my eyes rest a bit. I open my eyes again because someone is poking the side of my arm. I see it’s Bel doing that so I look at her disgruntled, not noticing the teacher standing in front of me looking very angry.
“Your highness, you might be a princess but you are also a student at this academy! Please pay attention!”
“I’m sorry ma’am, I already learned about this 4 years ago so I got bored.”
“Then I’m sure it’s no problem for you to explain why it is so important to have good control over your magic power, especially if you have a lot of mana!”
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
“Because if one isn’t careful it’s easy to make a spell a lot stronger than intended,” I create a large ball of water, “which can cause problems, but if the caster has proper control of their magic and how much they want to use”, I make the ball of water small enough to fill about a cup, “which makes it safer to use magic for everyone around them.” I make the ball of water disappear. “Water is a relatively safe element to train with because at worst everything gets wet while with something like fire the outcome could be disastrous.”
All three of them look at me in shock. “Excuse me, your highness, but if it’s not too much to ask, why are you even in this school?”
“Ah, grandma insisted on it so I can learn some common sense.”
Miss Barnes and the teacher look at me shocked while Bel just sighs and comments, “I didn’t expect you to admit that that easily.”
Apparently I missed the whole class because Bel, Alexia and I are now on our way to the cafeteria. Alexia seems to be a bit nervous but we did talk it over before and came to the conclusion that it’s for the best to make sure everyone knows we are friends.
I spent most of our lunch thinking about making something to keep both Bel and Alexia safe while I’m not around. It's been a few decades since I had to deal with bullies myself but I doubt much has changed. Bel and Alexia are both going to the swordsmanship class while I’m going to the magic tool class. It surprises me a bit that Bel isn’t attending class with me because I was pretty sure she is supposed to make sure my ‘lack of common sense’ doesn’t get out of hand. Mom told me that grandma might have someone like that look out for me because mom had someone like that as well.
The class about magic tools was very interesting. Apparently you are supposed to use special material to create magic tools. The teacher explained it as every material having different mana compatibility so using the right material makes it easier to add magic to it and while it is possible to use any material in theory it’s not realistic because the amount of mana needed would be too large. I can see why everyone was so outraged by the things I was making since it is something thought to be impossible or at least close to, not like that’s going to stop me from continuing. I am curious what I can create if I use the proper materials though.
After the class the teacher showed me a workshop to create magic tools of any kind, including different tools to create the tool itself before adding the magic. The teacher said that it is my personal workshop. I didn’t really pay attention to the reason but it felt like it was a bit of an insult.
I am now on my way to where the swordsmanship classes are held, Bel told me they would be sparing together for a bit after class. I don’t really understand why they are so invested in learning how to use weapons when both of them have the Magic Talent. They tried to explain to me that you can’t always rely on magic since it takes a bit to activate so knowing any kind of martial art can give you a huge advantage. It’s easy to find them because they seem to be the only ones around currently sparing. There are quite a few onlookers which is understandable given their spar looks similar to when I used to spar with mom. Bel is using her rapier and nimble movements to redirect or dodge the twin axes Alexia is using. At a glance it looks like Bel is at a disadvantage and only dodging and parrying but she is actually breaking Alexia’s balance slightly each time. Both of their movements feel very natural but I’m surprised no one is getting injured. They are going at it like that for a bit longer when they suddenly both stop. I walk towards them while they sit down. They look very exhausted.
“How are neither of you injured?”
Bel points at a brooch she is wearing, “This is a magic tool that can absorb a certain amount of harm for the user, the school lent them to us and they are very expensive because of the material they are made from and the amount of mana needed to create it. After the limit is reached it needs to be recharged with mana again. We were allowed to borrow them because we are able to recharge them ourselves.”
“Interesting, interesting. So who won?”
This time Alexia speaks up, “It is a draw, both reached their limit at the same time.”
I sit down next to them and take a picnic basket out from my pocket. I’m ignoring everyone staring at me and start setting up 3 glasses and lay out the sandwiches I prepared yesterday.
“Your highness, didn’t we agree not to create any more magic tools until after you had your first class?”
If I pretend I can’t hear her I can’t get into trouble.
I give one of the sandwiches to Alexia who is staring at me flabbergasted.
“Fine, if you don’t want to explain yourself I’m going to inform her Majesty about what you’ve been doing.”
Oh no, grandma is scary when she’s angry.
I try to explain myself, “I-I always wanted to have a picnic but never had the chance so I figured if I always carry one with me I’m prepared for if the opportunity arises but don’t worry, I also used a time preserving spell so everything I put in should stay fresh for at least about a year without problems…”
Bel looks even angrier now. Alexia seems to have recovered from the shock, “Wait, so you added a time manipulation spell to our school uniform and you’re acting like it’s a basic thing to do?”
“It isn’t?”
“Of course it’s not! Time manipulation magic is already very demanding, not just in mana control but concentration and required mana to the point where it’s incredibly hard to use as is, let alone attach it to even one of the best suited materials!”
Bel chewed me out for quite awhile but I was still able to enjoy the picnic. She did confiscate my picnic basket though, like that’s going to stop me. Instead of going to my room I’m going to my workshop and Bel and Alexia are heading to the library to study. The teacher told me there is material to make magic tools provided by the school but I have no idea which material is better or worse, on one hand because I haven’t really learned about it yet, on the other hand because I don’t really care too much since it doesn’t really matter to me. I pick a red material because it looks pretty and start working on making 2 brooches. I’m trying to replicate the brooch they used for training but I think it can be improved on. I’m pretty happy with the end result, the brooch gives the wearer protection by counter attacking with the same force if hit, it draws mana from its surroundings so there is no need to recharge it and if the wearer actually channels mana into the brooch it will create a magic shield around the wearer. The brooches are in the shape of a shield and have a phoenix on it because I figured that would look good with the red of the material.
It took a bit longer than expected to finish both brooches because it’s almost time for class now. I arrive at the classroom but Bel and Alexia aren’t here yet. Did they oversleep?
Class is about to start when Bel and Alexia enter together with red faces.
“Morning.”
“Good morning, Lady Lucina.”
“Good morning, your highness.”
I give them each a brooch, “They work similar to the one you used yesterday from the academy but I improved them a bit.” Before they get the chance to ask questions the teacher enters the classroom and class starts.
I hope the teacher won’t mind if I take a quick nap again.
I get woken up by being shaken. “Lady Lucina, class is over.”
We sit down in the cafeteria, Bel and Alexia both put the brooch on and Bel doesn’t even look angry with me.
“So when you say you improved it, what do you mean?”
“Instead of having to recharge it it uses the mana in the environment and you can add your own mana to the brooch to create a barrier around yourself.”
“Okay, next question. Why is it red?”
“I found it among the material provided by the academy and I thought it looked cool.”
“And I assume there is a phoenix on there for the same reason?”
“Yes.”
Bel doesn’t seem to approve of my smug expression. Things looking cool is important!
We finished eating and went to our classes. Today's magic tool class was about different materials and their efficiency. As it turns out the red material I used is something called Adamantite, a material that is hard to use for magic tools because it takes a lot of mana to add any spell to it but if someone does manage to do so the spell's strength gets increased. Because of that it’s used in staffs for magicians or a weapon for a magic swordsman. I had asked the teacher what the difference is and they explained it that the issue for magic tools is that the material has to ‘hold’ the spell, which Adamantite has a low compatibility with, but if you use it in a staff you can still get part of the strength increase because it doesn’t have to hold the spell but just passes through it. This would explain why it took so long to add the spells to the brooches.
I left class and Bel and Alexia are already waiting for me. Bel looks angry and Alexia concerned.
“You know, your highness, adding a counter attack isn’t exactly a small improvement especially on Adamantite! How did you even manage to put something on anything, let alone on Adamantite which doesn’t hold even the simplest of spells?!”
“I-I’m sorry. Did something happen?”
Bel grits her teeth but Alexia speaks up. “I had to grab something from my room before class and on my way back I got cornered. They tried to intimidate me again because I’m a commoner but since I had her highnesses brooch I figured I would be fine. That only seemed to piss them off more though so they attacked me, while I didn’t have time to activate the shield you mentioned. The good news is, the automatic defence works, the bad news is, it works too well. The student that attacked me is now in the infirmary because they are trying to paint it as me attacking them.”
I think for a bit. “It’s probably my fault. The idea was to counter an attack with the same force in order to nullify it but I think because it’s Adamantite it returns the attack with a higher force. I didn’t know that Adamantite increases the strength of a spell when I made it so I didn’t take that into account.”
Bel lets out a sigh. “Only you can think up something so ridiculous.”
“Well, what’s done is done. Let’s talk to the principal and get this sorted out.”
I enter the principal’s office, who is getting quite flustered when he sees me enter with Bel and Alexia.
“What brings you here, your highness?”
“I heard a student attacked someone and got hurt in the process. I came by because I also heard someone is trying to spin the story so I wanted to hear the details from you.”
He seems a bit calmer now, maybe he thinks I don’t know the whole story or that he can spin it.
“You must have heard wrong, your highness. The injured student is the one that got attacked. Miss Barnes was the one who attacked them. I have the testimony of 3 other students and besides, the injured student is a second year student, if they actually attacked Miss Barnes she would be the one injured instead.”
“I would agree with you if it wasn’t for the fact that Miss Barnes is wearing a magic tool meant to protect her from attacks.”
He looks surprised for a moment but quickly regains his calm, I do think he is starting to realise that I know everything already.
“Even if that was the case, that doesn’t justify a counter attack that leaves someone injured. Using excessive force for self defence is just as bad, especially if you don’t get hurt at all.”
“Okay, then how big of a retaliation would be enough? Would it have been fine with half the power?”
“Of course not! While the student's life isn’t in danger it was a close call! The only reason they didn’t get crippled was someone giving emergency treatment!”
I look at Alexia and she gives me a nod. Seems like she understood my wordless question whether or not she gave first aid.
“So are you aware that the magic tool Miss Barnes has is something I created? I actually didn’t intend for it to cause harm to an attacker but I didn’t know Adamantite increases the strength of a spell so that’s on me. I did check the efficiency though and it only returns an attack at around 120% of the original strength. This means the attack directed at Miss Barnes was intended to cause significant harm to her and at the least cripple her. But Miss Barnes actually provided first aid to her attacker, which is something I doubt they would have done for her if the attack was successful.”
The principal looks defeated.
“I recommend you take the proper actions and expel the students that caused these problems.”
Alexia grabs my attention, “Excuse me, you highness. If it isn’t too much trouble I’d prefer it if those students don’t get expelled. Their resentment might grow if they do get expelled which could cause even more problems and I don’t think they will make the same mistake again.”
I think for a moment, “Fine,” I look at the principal, “you heard her. But don’t think you will get away easily yourself because I am going to tell her Majesty the Queen about this.”
With this we leave the office and I invite Bel and Alexia over to my room. The moment I close the door to my room both of them kneel down on one knee.
““Your highness, please let us serve under you.””
I stare at them surprised for a bit.
“I refuse.”
They both look at me shocked and Bel is the first to speak up, “May I know why? Is it because we are so much weaker than you?”
I sigh, “No, I have no need for anyone to serve under me. I plan to live as a commoner in the countryside with my mom again once I finish school. It’s pure coincidence that I’m a princess and I don’t care about the title. Aunt Emelia’s children are next in line anyways so it’s not like I’d become the next queen to begin with.”
This time Alexia speaks up, “Your highness, I understand that for you status is something that doesn’t matter and while that might be true for us as well while we are at the academy the reality is that as soon as we graduate there is going to be a gap again. A lot of nobles don’t care much for commoners but anyone who is recognized by a noble or royalty can’t just be ignored. This might be very selfish of me but just being able to serve under you would make my, as well as my family's, life a lot easier.”
Bel chimes in, “My Family has a long history of being loyal to the royal family, we choose who to serve ourselves though. You not only protected a young woman you didn’t even know yet but also recognised the potential danger and quite literally saved her life with your foresight. I can’t imagine anyone more worthy to serve. We also don’t need to follow you around as long as you promise you will rely on us if you ever need to.”
This sounds like a hassle but they make a good point. I sigh, “Fine, but only under the condition that you still treat me like a friend.”